India Vacation

Uttarakhand is one of the newly carved youngest states of India, which is located in the lap of Himalayas. It is very famous for its Char Dham Yatra, pilgrimage tour destinations i.e. Badrinath, Kedarnath, Gangotri and Yamunotri. Apart from this, there are a number of famous hill stations in this state which attract adventure freaks and honeymoon couples from various parts of India and abroad.

Badrinath Shrine

Badrinath is a famous holy shrine of Hindus, which is situated in Chamoli district of Uttarakhand. It is considered as the most important sites of Char Dham pilgrimage and is dedicated to Lord Vishnu. Located at an altitude of 3,415 meters above sea level, Badrinath temple is perched on the banks of Alaknanda river. It is surrounded by Nar and Narayan mountains and is situated at a distance of 301 km from Rishikesh.

It was established by Adu Shankaracharya in 9th century and attract lakhs of pilgrims every year from far away places. Several renovations have been carries out in the temple premises after its construction. June to September months are best for visiting this Hindu shrine as the roads are blocked due to heavy snowfall in the winter season.

Jolly Grant is the nearest airport to visit Dadrinath, which is located in Dehradun, the capital city of Uttarakhand. It is at a distance of 317 km away from Badrinath. This shrine is accessible by nearest railway station, Haridwar, which is 310 km far. One can reach Badrinath by road from various places like Delhi, Rishikesh and Haridwar, but its roads are rocky and it is advisable to travel by all terrain vehicles.

Kedarnath Shrine

Kedarnath is an another holy pilgrimage shrine of Char Dham Yatra pilgrimage tour. It is located in Rudraprayag district of Uttarakhand, in the lap of Himalayas. Kedarnath is the remotest shrines among all the Char Dham shrines and is located at an altitude of 3,584 meters above sea level near to Mandakini river.

Dedicated to Lord Shiva, Kedarnath shrine presents a beautiful view of snow capped mountains and lush green valleys. The shrine opens for pilgrimage in April end and closes in October end as it remains cut off from rest part of the world because of heavy snowfall in the Himalayan ranges.

There are a number of attractions near to Kedarnath shrine like Ukhimath, Agastyamuni, Phauli- Pasalat Devi Maa, Kalimath, Bamsu and Trijugi Narayan.

One can reach Kedarnath by a steep walk of about 14 km from Gaurikund as it is connected by road from Dehradun, Rishikesh and Haridwar. The nearest railway station is Haridwar from where one can reach Gaurikund by road. Jolly Grant is the nearest airport to reach Kedarnath, which is located in Dehradun.

Now-a-days one can also enjoy the Pawan Hans helicopter ride to Kedarnath shrine from Agastyamuni and Phata. There are a number of guest houses and hotels near to Kedarnath shrine for pilgrims to stay.